Someone passed me at about 75mph in a 50mph limit a while ago.
I flashed him a few times.
He was in such a rush, he stopped a few hundred metres down the road to abuse me from the kerbside as I trundled past.
To me, that sums up the absurdity of most speeding.
It has nothing to do with a need to get there quicker, and everything to do with demonstrating superiority over fellow motorists.
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Someone passed me at about 75mph in a 50mph limit a while ago. I flashed him a few times.
Why?
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Why?
Yes, why? And why generalise about the intentions of people who drive faster than you? You know nothing about them, and are far too ready to do things like fussy flashing to demonstrate your own vastly and crushingly superior respectability.
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ifithelps is a traffic cop ;-)
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Why didn't he nick the bloke then?
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ifithelps is a traffic cop ;-)
Good point, I'd forgotten that.
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Lud/Focus,
I disapprove of dangerous driving - seen the consequences too many times.
The speed of the other car was such that it startled me.
I flashed him to say something like: 'Slow down before you kill someone, you idiot.'
His reaction shows I got the message across.
To me, my reaction was proportionate - a flash or two of the headlights, nothing more.
I could have stopped where he did and (attempted) to fill him in.
That would have been disproportionate.
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...ifithelps is a traffic cop ;-)...
I wouldn't have the patience for all the lies, deceit and bull... I'd get from members of the motoring public.
Reckon I'd last about an hour in that job, but in that time I'd produce enough work to keep Professional Standards busy for a year. :)
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ifithelps - presumably you were in an unmarked car? If so, his reaction doesn't surprise me. Lots of people generally don't like being told what to do (even indirectly) by people they don't think have the 'right'.
EDIT: sorry, just seen that ifithelps isn't a TC
Edited by Focus {P} on 25/08/2009 at 18:26
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I could understand perhaps a traffic cop flashing a speeder if backed up with turning on the blue lights, but for an ordinary motorist, I would be very surprised if this had the desired results. Did you really expect it to work?
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Focus,
All my cars are unmarked - like to keep 'em nice. :)
It was daylight, the guy shot past me, by the time I'd flashed the headlights he was some way down the road.
I was surprised he even noticed, particularly as he must have been on such an important mission.
As you say, he didn't like my passing comment on the manner of his driving, which the law would describe as dangerous.
Well, that's his problem, not mine.
If he doesn't like being flashed, he shouldn't drive dangerously.
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As you say he didn't like my passing comment on the manner of his driving which the law would describe as dangerous.
Perhaps he objected to you breaking the Highway Code:
Q7. What is the one reason allowed for flashing your headlights.
A7. To advise other road users that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users. Never assume that a flashing headlight is a signal for you to proceed.
:-)
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...To advise other road users that you are there....
Well, he was driving like there was no one else on the road, so I might try a Nick Freeman-esque defence to that one.
Wonder what the heinous offence of indiscriminate light flashing is worth?
Can't be any more than a fine and points, probably just the former.
Whereas dangerous driving carries a maximum of two years, and some judges have described that as inadequate.
Edited by ifithelps on 25/08/2009 at 18:56
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...To advise other road users that you are there.... Well he was driving like there was no one else on the road so I might try a Nick Freeman-esque defence to that one.
you mean 'To advise other road users that you were there' :-)
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he shouldn't drive dangerously.
agreed on that
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All right ifithelps. Sorry I was rude. And I must say your man sounds an idiot. I don't normally pay any attention to angry flashing in my mirror (it doesn't often happen).
Slight topic drift, but when the lights changed at the junction of Elgin Avenue and Edgeware Road yesterday and we all moved off to cross Edgeware Road, there were four youngish men crossing the road against the lights, the fat one in the lead holding his hand up imperiously to make us all stop. Unfortunately the BMW in front allowed itself to be intimidated instead of blasting forward over their toes followed by the rest of us, and so we all had to stop.
I confess that I was so annoyed I gave a toot on my car's mellifluous horn, and as we all drove off these carphound pedestrians looked round angrily. I am ashamed to say I showed them the American finger. There's no fool like an old fool.
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...All right ifithelps. Sorry I was rude...
Lud,
Thanks for the (unprompted) apology.
No offence intended or taken.
The observance of speed limits is one of those topics where are views differ a little bit.
As regards passing comment on other drivers, driving in London is a far cry from the wide open spaces of the North East.
If I were driving regularly again in the capital, I'd soon learn to keep my trap shut in all but the most extraordinary of situations.
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Indeed, you'd have to be a hobless hobnob of the highest order to be seen dead in an X6, IMHO :-)
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Could have taken out a young woman with 2 toddlers y'day, ( how many points is that ? )
She stood on the kerb to my left, one toddler on a tricycle, waiting whilst the green man was on. The lights changed to green for me and she went, pushing the trike off the kerb first as if to ' test the water '.
I anticipated and let her cross, although I'd already moved. Managed to get my window down and give her a very short lecture on crossing the road...which she ignored.
Still, if I helped somebody, it wasn't a wasted day.
Ted
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You have to remember that some people's brains are smaller.
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Reminds me of this video from about 5 years ago that was doing the rounds. The 'victim' ended up stealing their camcorder, hence the footage.
Whether it's real I don't know.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=81RX7eqz9-w
WARNING, contains lots of swearing, a firearm, and verbal abuse of sentient beings, hence not click-able.
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She stood on the kerb to my left one toddler on a tricycle waiting whilst the green man was on.
I had similar in a certain part of Bristol a few years ago, young female ( i nearly said woman but that would be insulting real womanhood who wouldn't dream of this tactic) in charge of child in pushchair just pushes the infant out in front of fully loaded car carrier trundling down the road (me), nowhere near a crossing of any sort.
Then after i've slewed to a halt looks at me like i'm something the dog dragged in, and continued across.
You sometimes wonder if the old eyes are deceiving you the sheer stupidity of them.
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In Newcastle, NSW, last Christmas or thereabouts, my wife (65) and I (70) were crossing the big urban three-lanes-each-way dual carriageway between the shops and our daughter's house, about fifty yards from the traffic lights at the junction.
As we started to cross, in the late morning with virtually no traffic, the lights changed. A car not quite up to the lights, cruising correctly down the nearside lane coming from our right, chose very obviously to accelerate as hard as it could and swerve across into the outside lane apparently trying to kill us. However hard it was going, in a straight line it would have been 15 feet behind us. Being cool old London pedestrians we didn't break into the panicky scamper the little carphound wanted, but slightly upped our pace to twitch our buttocks onto the central reservation in the nick of time.
As the car - can't remember what it was, probably Japanese, certainly nothing special - passed just behind us I did bawl 'lady's front bottom' or some word to that effect in my practised South London lilt, but the little turd was saying something himself over the scream of his little engine so may not have heard. I wasn't quick enough to let him have the groceries through his windscreen. Just as well perhaps.
It absolutely amazed us as Aussie motorists are utter pussycats by our standards, positively Californian and often verging on mimsers. We kept hearing wheelspin round the corner but that was the only piece of real London gutter behaviour we saw there. Total damn nutter and carphound.
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The bacon and onion pudding went down a treat tonight, with mash and lashings of onion gravy, follwed by a mug o tea and bread pudding, ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz night night.
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Was walking across a pedestrian crossing, in the hellhole that is Swindon, and had a young gent start flashing his lights at me when he was around 100yds away. Turned out he was doing close on three-figure mph in a forty.
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tack - my full sympathy, a horrendous experience.
I have been in similar situations before, more times that I care to recall, what you absolutely must do is to report the incident to the Police.
They may be dismissive because you do not have the registration number, but they can investigate based on X6 vehicles registered in the local area if you are gently persuasive enough (I am guessing the offender is local, he knew it well enough to circle the block), but this might be clutching at straws.
They may also ask "do you want to press charges sir", as that puts most people off pursuing the incident, so have an instant "yes" response ready.
Even if the Police cannot trace the offender, it may assist you in recovering from this ordeal if you have at least offloaded the experience as a recorded offence. And, as others have said, at some point a similar incident may occur with the same driver and the 2 can be linked. No way they can be linked if you have not reported it.
I recommend that you seek counselling as this was a direct and unprovoked threat upon your life. I am guessing you will have a lot of anger and upset within, a professional really can help you to deal and move on.
Finally, it may be worth visiting the area again yourself at a similar time of day with a camera?
Best of luck anyway.
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Tack, do you have a recipe for yr Aunt Kit's bacon and onion pudding?
It really appeals for some reason.
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Rally good thread, on idiots on the road - and I too would really like the recipe. I'm totally serious, the whole concept sounds wonderful. Paypal waiting if need be.
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People have been killed for divulging lesser secrets than their revered Aunts top secret boiled bacon and onion pudding recipe. My dear old Mum (bless her soul) took her recipe for perfect yorkshire pudding to the grave. The only part she told me was that you had to slam the oven door when you put the pudding in.
However, I will don the kevlar body suit and shin protectors and ask Aunt Kit. Watch this space!
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